Pat Ricchiuti, founder of P-R Farms, was 88
August 4, 2008
CLOVIS, CA -- Pasquale (Pat) Ricchiuti, founder of P-R Farms, here, and father of the company's current president, Patrick Ricchiuti, died Sunday, July 27, in Fresno, CA. He was 88.
Mr. Ricchiuti was born Jan. 7, 1920, in Rochester, NY. His family later moved to California and began farming, and as a young man, he began working on the family farm.
"Pat loved to work so much that he soon became frustrated during his early teen years because school got in the way of his earning money," according to a written eulogy furnished by the family. While his sisters and many of his friends "were off attending school, Pat was busy hauling fruit and vegetables all the way to San Francisco's terminal wholesale market," sometimes making the trip "as many as six times a week during the hectic summer harvest."
Mr. Ricchiuti served in the U.S. Army during World War II and then returned to the farm. By the 1950s, "he was farming his family's 70 acres" of watermelons, grapes and figs, "plus his own 40 acres of plums and cotton." He also made raisins from his Muscats.
He ventured into commercial harvesting in addition to being a grape buyer and broker for numerous wineries, according to the eulogy. He reinvested his profits, and in 1954 built a metal packingshed.
"In 1968, Pat began packing fruit at a facility in Clovis," the eulogy said. "By 1973, Pat, with the help of his son Patrick, oversaw the construction of their state-of-the-art cold storage and packinghouse" at the present location of P-R Farms. "The hallmark of Pat's farming ability was growing quality fruits and nuts amidst immaculate orchards and fields where telephone poles were painted white and property lines and avenues were freshly oiled. Perfection was his standard."
The eulogy added, "Throughout Pat's life, he always had his eye on expansion, and his dreams were realized one ranch at a time. Today, P-R Farms owns thousands of acres of almonds, grapes, olives, apples, citrus, peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots."
Mr. Ricchiuti was born Jan. 7, 1920, in Rochester, NY. His family later moved to California and began farming, and as a young man, he began working on the family farm.
"Pat loved to work so much that he soon became frustrated during his early teen years because school got in the way of his earning money," according to a written eulogy furnished by the family. While his sisters and many of his friends "were off attending school, Pat was busy hauling fruit and vegetables all the way to San Francisco's terminal wholesale market," sometimes making the trip "as many as six times a week during the hectic summer harvest."
Mr. Ricchiuti served in the U.S. Army during World War II and then returned to the farm. By the 1950s, "he was farming his family's 70 acres" of watermelons, grapes and figs, "plus his own 40 acres of plums and cotton." He also made raisins from his Muscats.
He ventured into commercial harvesting in addition to being a grape buyer and broker for numerous wineries, according to the eulogy. He reinvested his profits, and in 1954 built a metal packingshed.
"In 1968, Pat began packing fruit at a facility in Clovis," the eulogy said. "By 1973, Pat, with the help of his son Patrick, oversaw the construction of their state-of-the-art cold storage and packinghouse" at the present location of P-R Farms. "The hallmark of Pat's farming ability was growing quality fruits and nuts amidst immaculate orchards and fields where telephone poles were painted white and property lines and avenues were freshly oiled. Perfection was his standard."
The eulogy added, "Throughout Pat's life, he always had his eye on expansion, and his dreams were realized one ranch at a time. Today, P-R Farms owns thousands of acres of almonds, grapes, olives, apples, citrus, peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots."
